Bela Bartok: Complete Piano Concertos – Tomas Vrana

Bartók as an uncompromising individualist, Bartók as an architect, Bartók as a poet – that could be a simplified characterisation of his three piano concertos; three works that capture in a surprisingly fitting way the stages of the composer’s life, from the discovery of his own musical language to refinement and finally his acceptance of the difficult end to his life’s journey. The calm and peaceful mood of the most frequently played Third Piano Concerto contrasts strikingly with the relentlessly tempestuous struggle of the First and the lively vitality of the Second.

To this day, however, extreme technical difficulty hinders the more frequent performing of these works. The playing of the young piano virtuoso Tomáš Vrána, joined on the recording by the Janacek Philharmonic Ostrava and the Hungarian conductor Gábor Káli, definitely goes well beyond mere technical mastery in the works. His debut received high praise from Jean-Efflam Bavouzet: “Apart from it being quite rare to see a pianist so dedicated to such difficult pieces, it is even less common to see a young musician mastering them with such musical intelligence and deep knowledge of the orchestra score coupled with a great sense of rhythm and a masterful technique!” Tomáš Vrána also exhibited similar sensitivity and mastery in his use of language – he accompanied his recording with an interesting text for the CD booklet.